MENASource

As the MENA region continues to be the epicenter of news headlines, the Atlantic Council’s MENASource is a hub for thought-provoking and hard-hitting analyses about the latest trends, ideas, and debates. This online publication provides fast reactions and in-depth commentary on breaking news and key regional topics by a diverse team of experts and contributors.

MENASource brings you up-close to a region at the epicenter of geo-political headlines. It is the Atlantic Council’s hub for in-depth commentary about breaking news, key topics, and trends from our team of experts on the Middle East and North Africa.

The views expressed in MENASource are solely those of the authors and do not reflect the views of the Atlantic Council, its staff, or its supporters.

Learn more about the Middle East

Two Sorrowful Scenes at a Church Funeral

MENASource
Jul 31, 2026

Why GCC integration matters more than ever

Gulf countries can’t build their knowledge economies of the future on their own.

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Two Sorrowful Scenes at a Church Funeral

MENASource
Jul 13, 2026

Israel’s next government must prioritize the Abraham Accords

By
Amit Yarom and Itai Melchior

The fall election could open a narrow window for Israel to reset its regional strategy and create momentum to expand normalization.

Israel
Politics & Diplomacy

Two Sorrowful Scenes at a Church Funeral

MENASource
Aug 3, 2026

Can al-Zaidi separate the sects from the state in Iraq?

By
Munqith Dagher

The biggest challenge facing Iraq’s prime minister is how to curb the role of sectarian institutions in shaping Iraq’s state decisions.

Conflict
Iran

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Content

MENASource

Nov 8, 2013

Two Sorrowful Scenes at a Church Funeral

By Amr Hamzawy

While attending the funeral of my colleague’s aunt at St. Mark’s church in the Cairo suburb of Heliopolis, a woman in attendance approached me asking if she could ask a question. While I was expecting a question about my position on the course of events of July 3, 2013 and after, this delicate woman’s voice […]

North Africa

MENASource

Nov 7, 2013

Top News: Tunisian Youth Shut Out of Politics

By MENASource

Tunisian youths have voiced dissatisfaction at the lack of opportunity to contribute to the political dialogue. Naima Charmiti, a thirty-two year old who runs the arabesque.tn news website stated that “the revolution of the youths has been confiscated by the old who were hiding at home or abroad during the popular uprising.”

MENASource

Nov 7, 2013

Top News: Brotherhood Vows to Endure Despite Ban as Morsi’s Wife Pays Him a Visit

By EgyptSource

Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood has said its Islamic principles will ensure it survives despite a “politicized” decision to ban the decades-old group. The statement on Wednesday came hours after an appeal court in Cairo upheld a decision to ban the group and any group derived from it, and for its assets to be seized. “The coup […]

MENASource

Nov 7, 2013

EgyptSource Review of “The Square”

By MENASource

Director Jehane Noujaim’s The Square, a feature documentary that chonicles five revolutionaries through the January 25, 2011 uprising in Egypt and its dramitic political aftermath up to the June 30 protests against then-president Mohammed Morsi, captures a uniquely Egyptian and human perspective on the struggle for freedom and identity.

MENASource

Nov 6, 2013

The People of The Square

By Amir Beshay

From its opening scene of masses chanting “The people want the downfall of the regime” in Tahrir in January 2011, you can tell that The Square will not be an easy movie to watch. From the widely-publicized birds-eye view of Tahrir, director Jehane Noujaim’s The Square zooms in on the lives of five very different […]

North Africa

MENASource

Nov 6, 2013

Top News: United States and Russia Fail to Set Date for Syria Peace Talks

By MENASource

The United States and Russia failed on Tuesday to agree on a date for a Syrian peace conference, remaining divided over what role Iran might play in talks to end the civil war and over who would represent Syria’s opposition.

MENASource

Nov 6, 2013

Top News: Cabinet Preparing Bill on Abusive Graffiti; Protest Law up for Review

By EgyptSource

Local Development Minister Adel Labib has announced his ministry is preparing a draft law which would ban “abusive” graffiti on buildings in Egypt. Defendants found guilty of breaking this law could end up with four years in prison or EGP 100,000 fines, Labib explained. Labib added that committees have been formed in neighborhoods and cities […]

MENASource

Nov 6, 2013

Syria: The Ground Truth and Geneva

By Frederic C. Hof

At a recent conference, Dr. Steve Heydemann called attention to an important statement by Secretary of State John Kerry that clearly outlines how he sees the relationship between the combat situation on the ground in Syria and the likelihood that a Geneva 2 conference would implement the political transition provisions of the Geneva 1 Final […]

Syria

MENASource

Nov 5, 2013

Michele Dunne on Egypt’s Transitional Roadmap

By MENASource

Michele Dunne, director of the Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East, wrote an article that asks the United States government to reassess its priorities with regard to Egypt. US Secretary of State John Kerry’s recent visit hailed the Egyptian military-backed roadmap as a means to achieve a more stable democratic path, but in his […]

North Africa

MENASource

Nov 5, 2013

Top News: US State Department Calls for Transparency in Egypt’s Courts

By EgyptSource

US State Department deputy spokesperson Marie Harf has stressed that Egyptian courts must provide fair, transparent trials. Civilians should also be tried in civilian courts, Harf suggested, following months of controversy in Egypt that civilians could continue to be tried and convicted in military courts. 

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